You need a streak freeze

Keep the momentum going, even if you miss a day

One day in late 2016, I went for a run. That wasn’t unusual.

What was unusual was that I happened to run every single day for the next week or so. I was used to running five days a week, but it seemed that seven days a week worked perfectly fine. So, having done that, I decided to keep going with this streak. I ran at least a mile a day, every day, for the next 1100 days, until the streak finally ended in late December 2019 (on, not coincidentally, my fifth child’s birthday.)

I never missed a day, but I have since learned that this is not the only way people approach streaks. At some point during the pandemic, my daughter began studying Spanish with Duolingo, the language app. This app encourages you to build a streak of days spent practicing, but you can buy or earn a “streak freeze.” When you employ your streak freeze, you can miss a day and see your streak stay at the same length.

Life happens

I think this can be a cool idea — both for Duolingo’s business model, but also for life in general. A streak freeze lets you maintain the momentum of your streak, while accounting for the fact that life happens. I managed to go 1100 days with no injuries (or as it turned out, major pregnancy complications) but not every runner is so lucky. I got sick a few times but managed to inadvertently time my runs such that I did my mile before I started vomiting (and most stomach bugs only last about 24 hours anyway). I’d get up early to run before a long day of travel, but I never flew to Australia or somewhere where international dateline logistics might have had me seeking rulings from some sort of international streak judge (I don’t believe there is such a thing…).

In all these circumstances a streak freeze might turn down the pressure a little.

Make it make sense

If you decide to start a streak of doing something every day, you can decide what your rules will be for “buying” or earning a streak freeze. Of course, you could buy streak freezes with money given to a random charity or put into a savings account, but I think it’s more meaningful if the payment for the freeze is somehow related to the streak itself.

For instance, if you have a running streak, maybe you get a one-day streak freeze for doing an additional form of exercise, like cycling or Zumba, on a day you also ran. After all, you’re still exercising seven times per week!

For a reading streak, perhaps you earn a streak freeze for each book you finish.

If you have a meditation streak, you could earn a streak freeze by going for a silent walk or by taking a yoga class.

Whatever the nature of your streak and the “price” of your streak freeze, on the rare occasions when you can’t continue your streak, the streak freeze preserves the momentum you have. So the next day you can continue your streak rather than dwelling on losing it.

Now of course, you can also just end your streak! I didn’t decide to take a streak “maternity leave” and start up again after a month or two. I decided I’d tried a running streak and it was fine, and now I was fine to run a few times per week again. In life I think there’s a lot to be said for moderation — but a streak freeze creates a little moderation in something that by its nature isn’t moderated. As such, it might be worth considering.